Just about everyone and their mom has been writing love notes to our humble Land of 10,000 Lakes recently, from the Atlantic to Politico. It seems like every week, we're topping another list of what's great, what's cutting edge, and what's working. This week is no exception.

Forget about the teen years being an awkward time. For many, that awkward phase goes right on through the 20s. It's an age where you try (and fail at) new things, take risks, and make a fool of yourself. It's an age where it's still socially acceptable to binge drink, to dress in ridiculous outfits, and to bend the rules a little bit.

In honor of the Twin Cities being a great place for singles and young people, we've compiled a list of 20 things you should consider experiencing before you turn 30. Have fun, and bring bail money.

This weekend, people will be hitting the theaters in droves for Fifty Shades of Grey, the little Twilight fanfiction that could. And while some horny mega-fans will certainly be there to see their favorite sex scenes -- which would look tame on Game of Thrones or Girls -- brought to the big screen, we bet even more ladies and gents will be there to laugh at a potential train wreck. Though there's nothing here even approaching Showgirls levels of awesomeness, there's still fun to be had.

This game is for everyone who is planning on sneaking a flask or mini bottles of wine into the theater. Because drinking in the dark with friends (or lovers) while taking in a clichéd romantic drama is probably one of the more awesome things you can do on Valentine's Day weekend.

It's the age of Aquarius. Well, the month of Aquarius anyway. Here's a fun fact: There's a bunch of Bedlam staff members who happen to be Aquarians, a.k.a. people born between January 21 and February 19. So they're having a party to celebrate the fact that Saturn is easing up on them for the first time since 2012. But don't worry, it'll be fun even if you're not a true believer.

This Sunday is the biggest day in football. Whether or not you you're into sports, chances are high you will be watching it on TV with friends and family. But even though you couldn't care less about the outcome doesn't mean you can't have a good time. We suggest you turn the event into a game of your own. A drinking game. Sports and binge drinking go together like football players and models. Get everyone, football fanatics or not, to play along.

It's always exciting when Minnesotans get Oscar noms, but who needs Hollywood or Amy Adams anyway? We've got something that provides more entertainment than most of this year's films: the Uptown Theatre's marquee. Throughout the year, the folks at the south Minneapolis theater take full advantage of their customizable billboard and cinephile staff, composing irreverent ads for their otherwise serious lineup of independent films.

From puns to personal confessions, here are the top 10 marquees of 2014.

No one goes to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in search of the next big thing. You're not about to see women in corsets or men in puffy shirts telling dick jokes on prime-time TV. However, as an act that started in those dusty Shakopee fields, the Danger Committee is looking to do what very few have done before: Go beyond the castle.

Some would say that the comedy knife-throwing and juggling trio has already accomplished that. Jason LeMay and Mick Lunzer won a gold medal in the 1996 International Jugglers' Association Teams Championship. After adding Caleb McEwen to the team, they made it to America's Got Talent in 2010, and received Howie Mandel's gleaming nod of approval. While similar acts have been known to stretch entire careers out of brief television glory, the Danger Committee is unfazed.

From the beginning, they set out to give their audience the unexpected. This includes turning a knife catch into a flaming knife catch with a bonus cucumber slice, going from juggling one stun-gun baton to juggling nine stun-gun batons, and turning Jack Dagger's measly cucumber slice into a cucumber slice on the Wheel of Death.

How many beers do you need to turn a toad of a film into a prince? When
using a beer-goggles movie scale, an Academy Award-winning work like The
King's Speech is simply a one-beer film that is nicely complemented by
an IPA. Meanwhile, Joel Schumacher's nearly unwatchable Batman & Robin
can be redeemed when viewed through a boozy haze.

Tonight at
the Bryant-Lake Bowl, The Star Wars Holiday Special will be screened. Audiences
will have to decide for themselves how much liquor they
need before they can cast eyes upon this 1978 televised
disaster. We've created a drinking game to help you make it through
a film so notorious that it has only screened once on network TV.